[EBB Sightings] Northern Shrike?

Wendy's photos look like a Northern Shrike to me. The bill is on the 
longish side with a pale base on the lower bill, the lores are white, 
and the mask does not connect over the bill. In some of the shots, it 
still looks large-headed, but not so in some, e.g., row 1, #2 &4; row 
2, #3. Also, it does not appear to be a 1st winter bird because it 
lacks the brownish barring on the undersides. If they are present, they 
are very faint n the photos.

Nice shots, Wendy. I think you can go hop around gleefully.

Les Chibana

On Jan 17, 2005, at 1:51 PM, Wendy St John wrote:

> On Jan 17, 2005, at 10:46 AM, Les Chibana wrote:
>> On the NorCal Birdbox this morning's transcript:
>>
>>> Alameda Co.
>>> -----------
>>> On Jan 16, an adult NORTHERN SHRIKE and MERLIN were seen at
>>> Martin Luther King Jr Regional Shoreline in Alameda. The shrike
>>> was on the left hand isde of the entrance road, across from
>>> the end of the 1st pond. The merlin was also on the left
>>> hand side, just before the last parking lot. (Tracy Scwartz)
>>
>> Has there been any resightings, confirmations, or more description of 
>> the bird? Is there any more knowledge of this sighting?
> This is VERY interesting to me, as a couple of times last month 
> (December 19th and 20th), I saw a bird I suspected of being a northern 
> shrike in what sounds like the same location as this bird was seen 
> yesterday. I've never seen a northern shrike, though, and after 
> studying various books, I didn't feel confident in calling it a 
> northern, rather than a loggerhead, because the mask looked more 
> extensive than on some of the northerns pictured. The bird I saw, 
> however, did seem to have a longer beak than is pictured in some of 
> the field guides.
> The good news is . . . I have pictures of my bird. You'll find a few 
> of them (the best of the bunch) here:
> http://homepage.mac.com/herebedragons/shrike/
> I would love to hear opinions from people with experience of both 
> birds, one way or the other. If this turns out to be a northern 
> shrike, I'd be a happy bunny. (Life bird)! ::grin::
> Wendy St John
> San Ramon, CA
> herebedragons at mac.com